When they finally arrived at the mess hall, it was already dusk. Anji felt bad for Pearl, who had to work overtime, even though the senior librarian denied that. The smell of food lingering in the canteen made them forget all about the interview.
"Little cutie! You’re finally here! I was worried you weren’t going to come at all. Come, have a seat. You too, Pearl. It’s a good thing you came. Otherwise, we wouldn’t know what to do with all the leftovers we made for the special children’s menu."
In such a short span of time, Aunt Wine had already created a special children’s menu for Anji. Her dedication in the kitchen received respect from Pearl who ordered some leftover food instead of from the menu.
Graciously, Aunt Wine left to get their food while her favourite customers settled themselves in. It was chilly at night on the Mystical Qilin Mountain. It was still spring and close to summer. However, the Mystical Qilin Sect always had a consistent temperature, according to Aunt Wine, who had also brought out her meal to dine with them.
"There is a very large array covering the mountain range that belongs to the Mystical Qilin Sect. It was said that the founder of this sect was a powerful sage, and when he created this array, he ascended to the next realm. The Sect Leader has the duty to inspect and maintain the formation spell for the longest time. However, in recent years, starting with the previous sect leader, who was known for her carefree attitude, the senior researchers have had a hand in helping to maintain it. We learned how many features were built into it only after the senior researchers were allowed to inspect the array. One of them is a temperature regulator."
Finding it interesting, Anji listened to Aunt Wine and Pearl share more about the sect’s history while eating the special spring rolls as part of her children’s menu. On the other hand, the adults had alcohol with their meal, something Anji was not allowed to touch. The alcohol had a faint flowery scent, making her curious. However, she knew what alcohol did to the body and would not ask to try it. Instead, she wanted to know more about the sect’s history, starting with how her shifu became the sect leader.
"We don’t know much because the sect leader does not talk much about the past. However, the previous sect leader was famous for her gambling habits. Although she did not place bets very often, she always used the sect as a gambling chip whenever she gambled with others. As the stakes were so high, the other smaller sects would have to gamble their entire property in a wager at least. That was how the territory expanded past these mountain ranges, not that it was useful to us. The previous sect leader was known to be the Sage of Probability because she had never lost a single bet in her life. Many people worshipped her outside the sect as a gambling goddess when she ascended, although she did not guarantee them victory in their games."
A gambler! Of all the things Anji imagined, she never thought there would be such a chaotic character in the sect. She thought Bai Dajin, Zhang Yi and Hong Nian Niang had big personalities. As it turned out, the Mystical Qilin Sect also had a big personality in the past. How was it that of all the disciples in the sect, Yan Ping, who was the polar opposite, was chosen as the next sect leader?
Chuckling, Aunt Wine explained that the Mystical Qilin’s Sect Leader only needed to do one thing.
"It’s not maintaining the seals or becoming excellent at spells that will determine the sect leader. Our current sect leader simply excels in everything. Compared to the previous sect leader, who was utterly terrible with calculations and spell circuits, Sect Leader Yan is the most perfect sect leader after our founder." ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novel⚑fire.net
Hearing how different Yan Ping was from the other sect leaders, Anji’s respect for her shifu increased tremendously. However, she faltered when Pearl explained that the sect leader’s main duty was to learn how to see into the future. She wasn’t born with fortune-telling talents, and even if she had learned how to read stars from Doctor He, the stars were ever-changing.
"How does someone learn how to see into the future?" Anji asked, finishing her meal. "Do you have to follow a different cultivation path to learn that unique skill?"
Exchanging looks, Pearl and Aunt Wine laughed.
"Nothing of that sort, little cutie. If such a cultivation method existed, our sect would be full of Seers. We don’t know the details. However, the sect leader would know the successor through their vision. We don’t know what it takes to become the successor, but nobody here truly wants to inherit this crazy sect, even if the sect leader is the only one who can freely leave and enter this place."
Vision... was that why Yan Ping saved Anji at the expense of her cultivation? For a moment, Anji had mixed feelings. However, she quickly remembered that no matter the reason, her shifu sacrificed a lot to give Anji a better future.
If not for her shifu, she would be unable to cultivate at all, much less sneak out of her sect to visit the elderly Wang couple and eat their chilli dumpling noodles. Thanks to her shifu, Anji managed to gain so many new experiences. Even if her shifu did it only because she needed a successor, she saved Anji’s life. The young princess would pay it back. Besides, if what Aunt Wine and Big Sister Pearl said was true, Anji could travel freely from the sect anytime to visit her family after her successor’s training.
"Still, there’s nothing good about inheriting the vision," Pearl frowned. "I heard that many successors who were learning the skill from their master had to be tied down because they tried to take their own life at some point. The visions can cause nightmares and even hallucinations. It was recorded in the sect archives how many versions of the future existed in one of the previous sect leader’s journals. That discovery led to the brilliant invention of multi-spaces."
Multi-spaces... Anji listened to the adults talk about the usefulness of the inventions created by previous sect leaders and wondered what her shifu invented.
"Sect Leader Yan? She invented the time dilation device used in cultivation chambers and libraries. The mind can process more information quickly by slowing down time inside the chamber and using qi to accelerate the internal clock. It’s the most useful invention everyone uses in the inner court. Cultivation time has been reduced by at least half, although being able to break through is a different story."
Impressed by how amazing the sect leaders were, Anji wondered how she could contribute to the sect when she finished her successor training.
As it was getting late, they bade goodbye to Aunt Wine, who promised to make Anji a special congee for breakfast tomorrow. Pearl held Anji’s hand and borrowed a lantern to escort her back to her shifu’s hut for the night. The wind was chilly, but the lamps that lit up at night were beautiful. Although they were not as colourful as the lanterns in the Silver Water Town, they had their own ethereal appeal.
"We’re here," Pearl told Anji after escorting her to the front door. "Don’t stay up too late. Your orientation begins tomorrow with Researcher Yang. I’ll meet you at the mess hall at seven to have breakfast together and guide you to his research quarters. Good night, Anji!"
Thanking the senior librarian, Anji waved until she was out of sight with her lantern. Activating the lamp powered by small crystals, Anji looked around the room. Her bags were still unpacked.
Sighing at the amount of work left to do even after a long day, Anji dragged her feet to the bed and flopped onto it, exhausted.
There was no way she was going to bed on time today. Not with these many things to do.